By AARON BRACY
January 22, 2025
Saint Joseph’s scored 19 of the first 25 points at Belk Arena against Davidson and continued to shoot well throughout the game, defeating the Wildcats 78-61 on Tuesday night for their first win there since January 16, 1971.
The Hawks had been 0-8 in trips to Davidson prior to Tuesday.
Xzayvier Brown led four Hawks in double-figures with 20 points while adding six assists. Erik Reynolds II netted 17 points while making 5 of 9 three-pointers; Rasheer Fleming had 12 points and eight rebounds; and Justice Ajogbor contributed 10 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
St. Joe’s led 43-27 at the break before Davidson closed within eight, 45-37, after a 10-2 run to start the second half. Then, Derek Simpson had a steal and dunk, Reynolds hit a three-pointer, and Brown nailed a four-point play to quickly stretch the margin back to a comfortable 17 points.
The Hawks made 50.8 percent (11 of 27) of their field goals, including 40.7 percent (11 of 27) from long range, a continuation of their trend of having a chance to win when shooting the ball well.
With the victory, the Hawks improved to 12-7 overall and 3-3 in the Atlantic 10 to move into a three-way tie for fifth place in the league. The top four teams in the A-10 receive a double-bye in the conference tournament.
Up next, St. Joe’s will play at Dayton at 7:30 on Friday night on ESPN2.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.